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Itay Chen

Itzik Gvili speaks at an event for his son Ran Gvili, the last remaining hostage in Gaza, in Tel Aviv's Hostages Square, on December 12, 2025. (Paulina Patimer/The Hostages and Missing Families Forum)
December 12, 2025, 5:29 pm
Father of last hostage Ran Gvili: ‘Hard for me to accept condolences until I see his body’
‘He didn’t think twice, he went and fought,’ says Itzik Gvili as family holds Kabbalat Shabbat gathering in Hostages Square; father of Itay Chen calls for state commission of inquiry
By Jessica Steinberg
Ruby Chen eulogizes his son, slain hostage soldier Itay Chen, at his funeral in Tel Aviv, on November 9, 2025. (Uriel Even Sapir/Hostages and Missing Families Forum)
November 10, 2025, 3:53 am
Ruby Chen’s eulogy for his son Itay: We salute you; those who failed you must take responsibility
‘You went forward into an inferno, waged the war of your lives, a war of heroes, to save as many civilians as you could from the cruel fate’
By ToI Staff
Ruby and Hagit, the parents of Staff Sgt. Itay Chen, salute their son at his funeral at the military cemetery in Kiryat Shaul Cemetery in Tel Aviv on November 9, 2025 (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)
November 9, 2025, 4:16 pm
Burying his son, Itay Chen’s father vows to pursue ‘those responsible for Oct. 7 catastrophe’
Ruby Chen demands state inquiry: ‘Whole nation waits for answers’; Hagit Chen eulogizes her ‘brave, funny, good-looking son,’ laments she ‘won’t bake you cookies or set the table for 5 anymore’
By Jessica Steinberg and ToI Staff
Ruby and Hagit Chen, parents of slain hostage Staff Sgt. Itay Chen, speak to the media in Tel Aviv after his body was returned to Israel overnight as part of a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, November 5, 2025. (Miriam Alster/Flash90)
November 5, 2025, 9:58 pm
‘There is peace for the soul’: Parents of slain ex-hostage Itay Chen now ready to grieve
Ruby and Hagit Chen express relief after their son’s body is returned from Gaza, but call for answers and accountability over Hamas’s October 7 attack
By Jessica Steinberg and Emanuel Fabian
Staff Sgt. Itay Chen (Courtesy)
November 5, 2025, 12:20 am
Body of IDF soldier Itay Chen, killed fighting Hamas on Oct. 7, returned to Israel
Chen, 19, was last remaining hostage with US citizenship; 7 slain captives remain in Strip; army said to believe all can be found; IDF chief said to demand Hadar Goldin’s body in exchange for safe passage for Hamas fighters
By Emanuel Fabian and ToI Staff
Ruby Chen (center), the father of hostage Itay Chen, leading a protest calling for the release of hostages near the Prime Minister's Residence in Jerusalem, August 23, 2025. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)
September 2, 2025, 8:34 am
Suspended in hellish limbo, families of hostages declared dead fight to not be forsaken
Stuck between seeking closure and clinging to scant hope, relatives describe being overlooked or shunted aside, leaving their kin to rot in Gaza and them unable to properly mourn
By Ariela Karmel
Protesters for the release of hostages held in Gaza, at Hostage Square in Tel Aviv, August 26, 2025. (Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90)
August 30, 2025, 3:01 pm
‘Military pressure kills hostages’: Rallies mark year since Hamas killed 6 in tunnel
Anti-government protest folding into main Hostages Square demonstrations; ex-hostage thanks troops for bringing father’s body from Gaza
By ToI Staff
A screen capture of attendees at a virtual meeting of Shift 101, the mostly silent protest for the hostages who met online on June 16, 2025 (Courtesy)
June 18, 2025, 6:04 am
Parents of hostages and their supporters gather online amid Iranian conflict
With Israel focused on Iran war, families of captives say they feel forgotten, are frustrated by their inability to gather in person and rally for release of their loved ones
By Jessica Steinberg
Leah Goldin, the mother of Lt. Hadar Goldin, whose body has been held in Gaza since 2014, delivers a statement to the press at the UN Security Council, accompanied by Israel's Ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon, on May 15, 2025. (Screenshot, UN Web TV)
May 16, 2025, 4:39 am
Slain hostages’ parents, Israeli envoy urge UNSC to act on missing persons mandate
Parents of captives whose remains are held by Hamas join UN Ambassador Danon in calling for enforcement of 2019 resolution mandating the return of missing persons in armed conflict
By Nava Freiberg
Crowds gather at the Begin Gate of the IDF's Kirya HQ in Tel Aviv calling for the immediate release of all hostages held by Hamas in Gaza. (Dana Reany / Pro-Democracy Protest Movement)
March 15, 2025, 2:57 pm
Saturday hostage rallies draw thousands as families end 1st week of encampment
Protests take place as Netanyahu convenes the cabinet a day after negotiators returned from Doha; families forum slam meeting as belated: ‘The opportunity is now’
By ToI Staff
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